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Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 31, 2014 in Cinema, Television 
Are you excited for the Superb Owl coming up? Even if you’re not a sports-er there’s still plenty to be excited about: there’s going to be a whole bunch of movie trailers premiering! But in the race to be first, everyone is releasing their trailers and commercials online first — or releasing trailers for trailers! Below, I’ve included some of the latest. We’ve got a teaser for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which features the Rhino, some Electro action, and plenty of Gwen Stacy. There’s also a combo-ad between the Muppets and Toyota with Terry Crews. It’s a little on the oddball side. Lastly, a whole bunch of British superhero villains try to sell you a Jaguar. Because EVIL! Read more…
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 31, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections 
Yes, LEGO CUUSOO fans, your voting has paid off. LEGO have successfully negotiated the rights to produce a Ghostbusters LEGO set, particularly of the Ecto-1. It will also come with the original crew. Right now we only have the original, fan-submitted design to go off of, but LEGO says the final model will be very similar — and they’ve mostly upheld this promise in the past. Granted, some things just have to change, either due to pricing or certain parts no longer being in production. Still, the set should be a great collectors items, and will hit shelves later this year. Watch the announcement video below, along with teasing for the next round of nominees: Sherlock, Adventure Time, Zelda, Macross, a Japanese architecture model, and a second Back to the Future model (but motorized this time)! Read more…
Tags: Ghostbusters, Lego
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 30, 2014 in Videogames 
I’m glad that I’m waiting to play the latest Telltale Games adventure game series The Wolf Among Us. The spin-off of the comic series Fables released the first of five episodes, “Faith,” a few months ago, but the second episode, “Smoke and Mirrors,” has taken longer than expected to come out. The latest trailer promises that it’s “coming soon,” so it should be out shortly. Those who are playing each episode as it comes out will probably be ecstatic, as this new episode’s trailer looks pretty awesome. I figure I’ll pick up the whole series at once when it’s finally finished. Read more…
Tags: Fables, Telltale Games
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 30, 2014 in Videogames 
Final Fantasy XIII has a pretty convoluted story, not at all helped by a horrible presentation that seems to delight in requiring you to know certain information, but not giving that information for hours, requiring a look at a list of terms in a dictionary, which makes the eventual explanation boring. If you can’t tell, I’m not a fan of the poorly-written game or its sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2. But Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the third and final entry, is out soon, so Square Enix made this awesome recap of the story so far. It boils everything down to the bare minimum, and best of all, it’s done in 16-bit graphics like the classic SNES entries. It almost makes things comprehensible! I just want Square Enix to do more with this style of graphics. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS3, square enix, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 29, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Captain America: The Winter Soldier isn’t out on April 4, but that doesn’t mean Marvel isn’t already thinking of the future. Since we’re still in the middle of Marvel’s “Phase 2,” there are not a lot of confirmed details for movies in “Phase 3” besides Ant-Man. However, we might see a third Captain America movie, as Marvel has already arranged for Anthony and Joe Russo to return to direct a third film. They’re already working on the story, even though the movie isn’t officially confirmed yet. Read more…
Tags: captain america, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 29, 2014 in Animation, Cinema, Videogames 
I guess Sucker Punch saw that Insomniac’s fellow PS2-era platformer Ratchet & Clank was getting a movie and wanted in, because now we have a Sly Cooper movie scheduled for theaters in 2016. Hell, it’s even being made by Blockade Entertainment and Rainmaker Entertainment, who are also making the Ratchet & Clank movie. My gut reaction at first was that Sly looked weird and had too much detail in his fur, but after seeing it in action, I have to admit he looks pretty cool. The whole trailer feels like the video game it’s sourced from, and that’s great. Plus, I have to love when a series like this opens with a Reservoir Dogs reference. My only question now is if Naughty Dog will get a Jak and Daxter movie made to complete the PS2 platforming trilogy. Read more…
Tags: Sly Cooper
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 28, 2014 in Dr. Who, Television 
Part of the excitement of getting a new main actor on Doctor Who is seeing what he’s going to wear. Sometimes you wind up with something unique and classic, like Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, and other times you wind up with possibly the worst outfit ever cobbled together, like Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor. Now that Peter Capaldi has taken over the role as the Twelfth Doctor and filming has begun, we finally get to see how his version of The Doctor will look. And how he will look is pretty cool. Read more…
Tags: BBC, Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 28, 2014 in Videogames 
“Wait, I thought Microsoft already owned Gears of War, the solid dude-bro cover-based shooter that helped cement the Xbox 360’s reputation throughout it’s lifetime!” Well, other than helpfully recapping what Gears of War is, that would be wrong, Mr. Strawman-I-Made-Up! Epic Games, the developer, owned the IP and made an exclusive agreement with Microsoft for the game to be Xbox 360 exclusive. After an initial trilogy and a spin-off by a different developer, Epic seemed to have cooled on making any more games in the series. (And there’s nothing wrong with a series knowing when to end instead of running forever!) But now Microsoft has bought the IP, and there’s not much reason to do that unless you plan on making more games in the series. Read more…
Tags: Gears of War, Microsoft, Xbox One
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 27, 2014 in Videogames 
The latest game from Monolith Productions is going to be a bit of a departure from their previous work. They’ll be tackling the Lord of the Rings universe, featuring a character traversing the world prior to the events of the main story, as he jumps and fights his way through hordes of orcs. An interesting mechanic they’re promoting is that villains will often escape and return for vengeance later, or perhaps chase you down to avenge a fallen family member. It’s a unique idea, but I have to wonder if they can pull it off. It also appears to take quite a bit from Assassin’s Creed’s style of traversal. Check out the full video walkthrough of pre-alpha footage below. Read more…
Tags: Lord of the Rings
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 27, 2014 in Television, Videogames 
Last year, Microsoft revealed they were working on a Halo TV series, in full cooperation with Steven Spielberg, who was producing. We haven’t heard much since then, but a new rumor is circulating now saying that Neill Blomkamp is being sought after to direct the pilot episode. This is a little ironic, considering Blomkamp worked on the failed Halo movie before moving on to do District 9. Whether Blomkamp wants to come back to the Halo universe after a failed project remains to be seen, but last we heard he said he was against the idea. Perhaps since a TV pilot is an easier commitment, he’d be willing to contribute? Read more…
Tags: Halo, neill blomkamp
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 26, 2014 in Fandom 
A lot of people have wondered about how crazy Batman really appears to the rest of the world. An insane man dressing up in a bat costume to fight crime? Yeah, it’s more than a little silly, but that’s why we love it. YouTube user OneMinuteGalactica took various clips from the Batman trilogy and arranged them into a trailer that makes them resemble a Judd Apatow movie or any coming-of-age comedy. It’s really clever and just goes to show that editing is everything. You can make even a morbid, serious character like Batman appear goofy and awkward. Read more…
Tags: Batman
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 26, 2014 in Anime, Cinema 
Get ready, anime and manga fans, it looks like another favorite series is about to get tackled by Hollywood. Ghost in the Shell was picked up a while back, and now Dreamworks has assigned a director to it: Rupert Sanders. The director of Snow White and the Huntsman will helm the film which features a new script by William Wheeler. I don’t have a lot of faith in Sanders after the mediocre Snow White film, so I’m not sure how I feel about having him in control of this project. Then again, like many other anime films that get a director — it may not get much else, and disappear into development hell. Read more…
Tags: Ghost in the Shell
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 25, 2014 in Television 
Marvel just doesn’t want to surprise you anymore. Why tease something out, when they can just announce it in advance to try to drum up hype? Yes, Marvel has announced that Deathlok will be coming to Agents of SHIELD, probably in an attempt to get some new viewers for the show. Actor J. August Richards, who has been playing Mike Peterson, will be transformed into the cybernetic soldier. Jeph Loeb claims that they’ve been leaving breadcrumbs for fans all along the way, but all I heard was the obvious hint when Mike was “killed” and then woken up with a device in his eye. Still, perhaps this is the shot in the arm Agents of SHIELD needs to really get going. Read more…
Tags: Agents of SHIELD, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 25, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Last we had heard, Gal Gadot has been picked to play Wonder Woman in the upcoming sequel to Man of Steel, but now it’s confirmed that she’ll be sticking around in the DC movie universe a bit longer. She has signed on for a standalone Wonder Woman film and an eventual Justice League movie. I’m interested to see how this second Superman film turns out, now that Wonder Woman and Batman are creeping in on his turf. I also think Gadot is a great choice for the part, and people who complain that she’s “too skinny” and “not buff enough” need to take a chill pill. You’ve seen the change Christian Bale went through for the Batman trilogy, right? I bet she’s started an impressive regiment already. Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Man of Steel, Wonder Woman
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 24, 2014 in Videogames 
Looks like you’ll get a chance to buy the Ace Attorney trilogy all over again! The first three games in the series were originally released on the GBA, then ported to the DS, then released on iOS, and THEN released on iOS in HD. There was also a Wii port somewhere in there too! But if you own none of those systems and want to get in on the Ace Attorney series (or just want to own it again) Capcom has announced that the Ace Attorney 123: Wright Collection will be coming out on 3DS in Japan in April. This appears to use the updated HD visuals from the latest iOS release, but scaled down for the 3DS screen, which makes them look a bit nicer. Check out the Japanese trailer below. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Ace Attorney
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 24, 2014 in Cinema 
The Raid was a pretty awesome Indonesian martial arts film that featured a team of elite police officers working their way up a crime lord’s 30-story apartment building. Sound familiar? Yeah, but this came out before Dredd. They’re back with a second film now, and it looks like they’re amping things up quite a bit this time. The fight scenes looks more elaborate, the locations are more varied, and did I see a car being used to fight? Now that’s just cool. Sony has released a trailer for the US release of the film, which recently premiered at Sundance and will arrive here in March. Read more…
Tags: The Raid
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 23, 2014 in Star Wars 
Disney isn’t just doing a new Star Wars trilogy. No, they’re mixing in lots of individual side movies, sort of taking a page from Marvel. Considering that there are at least two such movies being considered, this next bit of news is surprising, but not that surprising. Latino Review reports that Pixar, an animation studio within Disney, will supposedly get their hands on the license and make a movie. There’s no clue as to what the movie will be like — if it’s a full side story like the extra live-action movies, or if it’s targeting kids, or if it’s a collection of shorter stories like other animated tie-in films — but I could see it working. Of course, the definitive animated Star Wars experience so far is Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars, and even without Tartakovsky involved, I think traditional 2D animation suits Star Wars‘ visual design much better. But even if Pixar aren’t as infallible as they used to be, I think they could make a good product. I’d expect to see much more of this kind of thing in the future, as Disney fully utilizes that expensive Star Wars license. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Pixar, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 23, 2014 in Dr. Who, Hobbies and Collections 
Yes, you can buy Cards Against Humanity, the more outrageous, dirty version of Apples to Apples. But you can just as easily download the cards and print your own — the makers even provide a link. You can do pretty much whatever you want with the format and writing, just as long as you don’t call it “Cards Against Humanity.” So it’s really easy to make a fan expansion however you want, like Crabs Adjust Humidity. Taking note of this, the comedy group Conventional Improv made a show based on Cards Against Humanity that they perform at conventions. In honor of Doctor Who‘s 50th Anniversary, they had performed a Doctor Who-themed game called Cards Against Gallifrey. That fan version is now available to download, so consider mixing these cards in if you’re a Doctor Who fan. Read more…
Tags: card games
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 22, 2014 in Animation, Cinema 
If you really loved Disney’s latest animated movie Frozen, you may want to consider visiting Quebec City. Disney has worked with Hôtel de Glace to create a hotel suite fashioned out of ice and snow. Frozen art director Michael Giaimo supervised the design to make sure it looked similar to the movie’s aesthetic. There’s also a “Frozen Activity Cave,” which isn’t explained, so it could be anything, but I’d guess it’s where you’d toss the kids if you and your partner wanted some alone time on that frozen bed. I’ve always appreciated ice sculptures, but I think sleeping in one might be a bit too much for me, so I’m happy to just look at these photos. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Frozen
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 22, 2014 in Videogames 
La-Mulana was a great retro-inspired 2D game with lots of exploration and secrets to uncover. (In fact, you can buy it on Steam for only $1.49 if you get it quickly!) Indie developer Nigoro wants to make a sequel that doesn’t require you to have played the original, and it needs your help to kickstart it on Kickstarter. In La-Mulana 2, you’ll play as the previous protagonist’s daughter, though it looks like her father is still in the game. There will be new monsters to fight in new ruins called Eg-Lana. Nigoro needs to raise $200,000 in funds by February 22, which seems totally doable, but there are of course tantalizing stretch goals to make the game even better. This is something any retro-enthusiast should want to exist! Read more…
Tags: Indie Games, Kickstarter
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 21, 2014 in Animation 
TV Guide premiered the first trailer for DC’s next animated movie, Son of Batman. This is an adaptation of the 2006 storyline Batman & Son, in which Bruce Wayne learns that he has a son from the boy’s mother, Talia al Ghul, leader of the League of Assassins. Bruce raises him, and soon young Damian is going out with Batman as Robin, though he certainly acts like someone who was raised by the League of Assassins. The animation looks good enough, though Damian seems a bit whinier and less aggressive than he is in the comics. Take a look and see what you think! Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 21, 2014 in Animation, Cinema 
When I was younger, I really wanted a lot of live-action versions of things I had seen animated. How cool would things like Dragonball Z and Evangelion be with real people? (Turns out not so well.) Now that I’m older, I’m perfectly content with these things to stay the way they are, because good animation can do things live-action can’t and should be respected as its own art form, not just something to distract kids. But Disney seems committed to redoing its most famous animated movies in live-action. Alice in Wonderland came out in 2010, Cinderella will be out in 2015, but this year is Maleficent, the Sleeping Beauty reimagining that focuses on its main villain of the same name. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Sleeping Beauty
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 20, 2014 in Cinema 
Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street was one of my favorite films I saw this year. It had it’s fair share of controversy, but I think much of it was from people who didn’t catch the core message of the film and just laughed at Jonah Hill acting goofy. That aside, the special effects in the movie were impressive! You might say, what effects? The lion? No, the lion is real, but it’s all the other special effects that are so well disguised that you don’t notice them. Brainstorm Digital has put together a video showing off their best work on the film — check it out below! Read more…
Tags: Martin Scorsese, wolf of wall street
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 20, 2014 in Videogames 
Kickstarter! How dare you fulfill young designer’s dreams to finally make the game they’ve always wanted! Yes, Rain World is on Kickstarter. This new indie game stars an adorable little cat-slug creature as it tries to survive in a desolate, possibly post-apocalyptic world. Given that you’re part cat and slug, clambering up pipes, across thin ledges, and through tights spaces in your favorite way to travel. Creepy-crawlies will hunt you, so you must do everything to protect yourself — and your eventual catslug family! They’ve already hit their goal, but you can still pledge if you’d like. Check out some images below, too! Read more…
Tags: Indie Games, Kickstarter
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